Behind the Seeds Tour in Epcot

If you’ve been to Walt Disney World a number of times, chances are you are looking to make each trip different from the last.  I know that is true for my family and myself!  We love having special memories from each trip that stand apart from each other.

On my most recent visit to WDW with my husband for his birthday trip, we did TONS of new things: dined at new to us restaurants, stayed in a resort that we hadn’t before, experienced Disney After Hours (twice), and experienced four different tours that ALL had backstage access.

For obsessive Disney lovers, like myself, going backstage is a true treat…a pure delight!  Why?  It’s not like it is pretty back there.  Disney saves all the “magic” for the guests to enjoy “on stage”, and behind the scenes is pretty much your every day stuff.  I think for myself, I enjoy seeing how many people it takes to make the “magic” happen.  I love hearing the stories of how everything and everyone comes together to make Disney “Disney!”  I love hearing how things work & how the ideas came to be.  No pictures or cameras are allowed when you go backstage…so “what happens backstage, stays backstage!”

Tours are awesome for repeat guests, or even guests that have longer visits planned!  They do take some time out of your day, so it might not always be the best idea for first time visitors.  However, there are some VIP access tours that would help you see A LOT in those cases.  That is for another post though.

The first tour I want to tell you about is the “Behind the Seeds Tour” at Epcot.  This is a great tour to take for a number of reasons:

1. It is only 1 hour long
2. There are several tour times to choose from each day
3. It is only $25 per adult & $20 per child (prices subject to change)
4. Discounts are sometimes given to Annual Pass Holders, DVC members, and Disney Visa cardholders
5. You are a gardener OR are interested in how Disney grows things
6. You love the Living with the Land attraction & want to learn more about it

Here is a description of the tour from Disney’s website…

Like the Living with the Land attraction at Epcot? Then you’ll love Behind the Seeds! This one-hour tour of the fish farm and 4 greenhouses that make up The Land Pavilion is perfect for anyone with an interest in gardening or natural sciences. On it, you’ll:

• Visit the fish farm and see what it’s like during feeding time.

• Behold gigantic fruits and vegetables and unusual crops from around the world.

• Discover the latest plant-growing techniques, including hydroponics—look, Ma, no soil!

• Take home a handout with some great ideas for your own garden.

We started the tour at the Behind the Seeds desk, which is located at the exit of Living with the Land…one of the attractions inside The Land pavilion in Epcot’s Future World.   Our tour guide walked our small group through a door where we found ourselves backstage.  She talked about the insects that destroy some plants & help others.  Then, we walked through another door, and were inside the Living with the Land boat ride.  It was fun seeing the boats sail past with guests looking at us, just like I have always done when I’ve seen a tour group there.  She showed us the unique ways they “grow” things, including the popular hydroponics.  I’m not much of a gardener, so I don’t remember all of the terminology that she used, but I did find it fascinating.  It made me WANT to grow things!  We also were given some cucumbers that were grown right there as a snack.  YUMMY!  I enjoyed seeing all of the hidden Mickey’s everywhere.  We could ask questions whenever we wanted!  I wondered if what I had heard was true…that all of the veggies grown there are used at the restaurants on property.  She said that while MANY of them are used in a couple of restaurants, they could never grow enough to serve ALL of the guests that go through the parks and resorts.  Many are given to the animals at Animal Kingdom & Animal Kingdom Lodge.

It was an interesting and beautiful peek into some of the Disney greenhouses!

If you want to add this to one of your Disney trips, just let me know.  And, I highly recommend experiencing Living with the Land before your tour, so you can see what you are going to be learning about from a different perspective!